Assessment of parental satisfaction with dental treatment under Thesis - 1

Assessment of parental satisfaction with dental treatment under general anesthesia in pediatric dentistry - Thesis Example In order to provide health professionals, health plans and health care providers, purchasers, integrated delivery systems and others with an comprehensive and accessible tool that will help them obtain objectives and exhaustive information on evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, a complete database called The National Guideline Clearinghouseâ„ ¢ (NGC) was initiated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which was formerly created by AHRQ in collaboration with the American Association of Health Plans (now Americas Health Insurance Plans [AHIP]) and the American Medical Association (NGC 2008). One of the guidelines presented in the NCG is the Guideline on Behaviour Guidance for the Paediatric Dental Patient published by the American Academy of Paediatric Dentistry (AAPD) in 2006. This guideline was the result of the symposium held by AAPD in 2003. Behaviour guidance is based on scientific principles, which requires communication and interpersonal skills such as empathy, coaching and listening. The guideline states the importance for dental practitioners to have acquired adequate knowledge and skills all through dental education regarding the effective treatment of childhood dental diseases. Careful and effective handling of these diseases systematically requires modification of the behaviour the child under treatment. This practice is referred to as behaviour guidance which is a continuum of interaction engaging the dentist and/or dental team, the patient and the parent/s bound on the subject of communication and education. The goal here is to advocate a deeper understand ing of the importance of good oral health and the relevant procedures undertaken for this to be accomplished and, in the process, assuage dental care apprehensions and anxieties. Another guideline presented in the NCG is the Safe Sedation of Children Undergoing

Comparison Report of McDonalds and Burger King Essay

Comparison Report of McDonalds and Burger King - Essay Example Burger King is another franchise in the food and beverage company that is giving McDonald's a run for its money. Founded in 1954 in Florida (Burger King, n.d.), it has been able to spread throughout the nation and worldwide achieving a great fan base in more than 74 countries (Burger King, n.d.). The restaurants are privately owned under the umbrella corporation Burger King and have a reputation of housing the world famous WHOPPER sandwich among others. Not limited to the United States, the company has been able to break language barriers and provides food and beverage services to more than 11 million customers daily (Burger King, n.d.). With its wide array of foods to choose from its menu, it gives people a great selection of food substances to choose from accommodating all ages, tastes, and preferences for all meals and snacks becoming a household name in the regions it serves.Having a Facebook page allows the company to interact freely and directly with its customer base in the re gion. Here they are able to advertise the products they offer and keep tabs on customer satisfaction. According to the page, however, they have more complaints than compliments meaning they need to use these customer responses to their services and products to improve on them. It is clear that they are more into advertising, which may compromise their business, and based on their fan base, compared to McDonald's, they need it.The two companies, being in the same industry, are similar to some degree.

Developing Sustainability Indicators Monitoring For Enterprise Business Essay

Developing Sustainability Indicators Monitoring For Enterprise Business Essay The term sustainability refers to the human desire for an environment that would reap current and future benefits. Sustainability is not an absolute, independent of human conceptual frameworks. Rather it is always set in the context of decisions about what type of system is to be sustained and over what patio-temporal scale.(Allen and Hoekstra 1994) Monitoring process is an emergent and a major management response to the existing challenges in sustainability. It helps in understanding the sustainability systems and its values. Monitoring systems generally focuses on developing the various suitable tools that would help in gauging the relatedness of the sustainability practices. Basically, these monitoring systems reveal the trends and patterns of a sustainable system by constructing a good understanding of those systems. Comparison of future desired conditions with the current state of systems can be established. The changes in the entire system can be easily detected and can be used as an earlier warning against change. The growth and progress of the sustainable system in an enterprise can be effectively measured. Indicators can provide crucial guidance for decision-making in a variety of ways. They can translate physical and social science knowledge into manageable units of information that can facilitate the decision-making process. They can help to measure and calibrate progress towards sustainable development goals. They can provide an early warning, sounding the alarm in time to prevent economic, social and environmental damage. They are also important tools to communicate ideas, thoughts and values because as one authority said, we measure what we value, and value what we measure. Indicators of sustainability are different from traditional indicators of economic, social, and environmental progress. Traditional indicators such as stockholder profits, asthma rates, and water quality measure changes in one part of a community as if they were entirely independent of the other parts. Sustainability indicators reflect the reality that the three different segments are very tightly interconnected, as shown in the figure below: Segmentation of sustainable indicators As this figure illustrates, the natural resource base provides the materials for production on which jobs and stockholder profits depend. Jobs affect the poverty rate and the poverty rate is related to crime. Air quality, water quality and materials used for production have an effect on health. They may also have an effect on stockholder profits: if a process requires clean water as an input, cleaning up poor quality water prior to processing is an extra expense, which reduces profits. Likewise, health problems, whether due to general air quality problems or exposure to toxic materials, have an effect on worker productivity and contribute to the rising costs of health insurance. DESCRIPTION OF ENTERPRISE Sony Ericsson  is a joint venture established on October 1, 2001by the Japanese consumer electronics company  Sony Corporation  and the Swedish telecommunications company  Ericsson  to make mobile phones. The stated reason for this venture is to combine Sonys consumer electronics expertise with Ericssons technological leadership in the communications sector. Both companies have stopped making their own mobile phones. Sony Ericsson has strived to maintain the highest standards in our approach to sustainability. Sustainable development and production is considered to be important challenges for the future by Ericsson which demands an immediate action from responsible manufacturers. Sony Ericsson have put into effect a life-cycle approach to product development .Sony Ericsson mobile communications is a global supplier of high graphic and multimedia cell phones with various features along with accessories and pc cards. The products offer a combination of powerful technology with creative applications for mobile such as music, style, imaging, communications and entertainment. The net result is that Sony Ericsson is an enticing brand which opens up new avenues for growth in business for mobile operators and along with offering desirable, fun products to end users. In the nine years period, Sony Ericsson has been operating and it has maintained a rigorous approach to ensuring that it maintains the same standards across all chains. For Sony Ericsson, the approach to sustainability is based on the following principles: To safeguard the future profits in environmental friendly related issues. Improving the living and working conditions of all those who are involved in production of products. Not to make a negative  impact on the consumers. To improve the impact of our products and activities on the environment. Sony Ericsson have focused on low energy consumption chargers.Sony Ericsson will introduce chargers and phones with this interface well ahead of the desired industry timeline. Our portfolio of chargers is already one of the best in the industry in terms of efficiency and energy consumption. The handset was built with fully sustainable materials, the optional charger had minimal no-load power and the concept offered reduced packaging with the elimination of paper manuals. In 2008, Sony Ericsson observers were introduced. The global take back scheme and the green heart project bring us closer to our vision of being a leader in sustainability in the mobile phone industry. Constant improvising is being made by them so as to improve the working conditions and environment. Sony Ericsson set aggressive, absolute targets: Reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions from the full life cycle by 15% till 2015 (based on 2008 year levels) Reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions from So internal activities by 20% till 2015(based on 2008 year levels) Sony Ericson has continues dialogue with the parent companies on the subject of building more sustainable business. Listing Justification Of Indicators Relevant To The Enterprise ECONOMIC INDICATORS: The economic indicator refers to the system of production and consumption (including finance) and refers to the market based and to the unpaid economy. Economic prosperity is a very important element of sustainable development; it allows to combat poverty, to finance remediation of old burdens, to make changes in our development economic policy and market mechanisms must be applied in support of sustainable development, and not against it. Without denying the importance of tools such as legislation, public awareness etc., and the economy is a very powerful tool for sustainable development. Used in the right way, it provides efficient incentives to make choices for sustainable development. These incentives need to be on all levels of society, they must work in favour of sustainable development by: Making sustainable investments both in the public and private sectors profitable, Channelling research into knowledge and solutions for sustainable development Influencing consumption decision on all levels. Tele communication industry is very important for sustainable development as it generates employment wealth as well as it also provides economic benefits to the society. This all attribute raises concerns at both micro- and macro levels. The economic indicators and objective for the each specific indicator is mentioned below: Table.1 Objective Indicators Sufficient supply and goods and services GDP/ capita Efficient wealth creations Total factor productivity, cost, sales Economic systems evolution and Competitiveness Net investment, R D expenditures, Accumulated public and private debt GDP Per Capita: Gross domestic product (GDP) is nothing but the over all average of the increase or decrease of economic growth. GDP is nothing but the market value of all goods and services produced by the economy during the specific period which is often one year.2008 study by Sony Ericsson on the socio-economic impact of mobile communications in Sudan found that mobile phone access generates significant socio-economic benefits for gross domestic product (GDP), notably for people at the base of the economic pyramid. Total factor productivity, cost, sales: In simple language Productivity gives good ability to understand into inflationary pressures, and how much GDP can increase without affecting inflation. With high demand of Sony Ericsson mobiles and the company has decided to reduce operating costs, connectivity is expected to become economically viable for the local operator within three years. Net investment and capital expenditures: This indicator specifies the distribution to providers of capital broken down by interest on debt and borrowings and dividends on all classes of shares. Then Sony Ericsson describes how it has utilise its capital the level of company commitment to socially responsible investing. These are the mentioned sustainable indicators which help the Sony Ericsson, telecommunication industry to sustain in the market. ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS: Among the various sustainable indicators available in the monitoring system for the enterprise chosen, the prime importance moves to the environmental indicators as it drives the sustainability core concepts. These environmental indicators provide a measure of the companys impacts over the natural environment entities namely on the human, air, water and land ecosystems. The impacts of such practices can be a local or a global one depending upon the nature of the process. The ultimate target is the stake holders in common. Considering the enterprise of Sony Ericson, the threat is posed over the employees who work in the enterprise. Our enterprise corresponds to the telecom industry where by the scope of analysis for the telecom products and the facilities in Sony Ericson company is tremendous. Hence it is worth to develop indicators for the company to evaluate the effectiveness of its sustainable practices. The sustainability indicators relevant to Sony Ericsson Company are identified as below. Materials- (substances of concern) Energy- (power consumption) Products Transport Air emissions (carbon footprint) The above listed indicators are identified to be more crucial for carrying out sustainable monitoring framework for the company, Sony Ericsson. Materials (substances of concern): Considering the first indicator, materials, it refers to the various elements of concern that are used in the company. Being a strong player in the telecom industry, Sony Ericsson, produces mobile phones that incorporates brominates flame retardants (BFR) on its boards and casings. Moreover poly vinyl chloride (PVC) is also used in the chargers. Hence considering the usage of these materials in the company provides more concern over the sustainability issues in the company. Hence developing this indicator would help in the measurement of sustainability impacts of using such materials inside the company. Energy: For any industry or an enterprise, the usage of energy becomes very essential for its effective functioning. Sony Ericsson is not an exception and as it addresses the energy consumption issue through its chargers for mobile phones. This indicator provides effective measurement of the energy consumption that would help the company to incorporate processes that would lead to lesser energy consumption for the sustainable future. Products: Sony Ericsson continues its operations in the telecom industry through its various ranges of mobile phones and accessories that pose a question whether they are bio-degradable or not. The toxicity levels in the products and their environmental impacts can be measured using this indicator. Hence for a product based company like Sony Ericsson, this indicator becomes very significant for ensuring sustainable practices. Transport: Transport is an inevitable indicator in any sector as the movement of either goods or services becomes a mandatory process in the work areas. Considering Sony Ericsson, the usage of transport service, the kind of modes used, the frequency and intensity of transport processes involved in the company is really high which can affect the environment in many bad ways. Thus this indicator is more relevant to the company in identifying the impact that companys transport operations are projecting towards the environment. Air emissions With a large company like Sony Ericsson, the production capacities for their plants in various locations are tend to be generally larger. This results in the production of more carbon dioxide emissions across the nearby areas of the plant locations. So, careful monitoring of such emissions and controlling it becomes very important for the company to evaluate the amount of air emissions of the company. SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS Apart from having economical and environmental sustainability it is as much as important for the company to be socially important too. Since every company they are socially bounded, it is important for them to be connected with the society. For a company to be effective and sustainable, both the individual and community resources need to be developed and used within the context of four guiding principles equity, social inclusion and interaction, security, and adaptability. Telecoms industry is playing as a very important player in shaping up the economy. The five main indicators of Sony Ericsson for social sustainability are as follows: Stakeholder involvement Human rights and business ethics Equal opportunities and non- discrimination Health and safety Bribery and corruption Sony Ericsson maintains good monitoring systems on this sustainability to have better output. Stake holder involvement Stakeholders are those who have a direct relationship to, or are affected by, our business. They include investors, customers, employees, suppliers, industry partners, governments, end-users, non-governmental organizations and the media. So it is important for any organisation to have a good relationship with them. By having sustainable relationships with the stakeholder provide the company with long run benefits. Stakeholder involvement towards a particular company creates a good image for the company among the public. Human rights and business ethics Business engagement in human rights is not only a responsibility but also an opportunity. It is very crucial for any company to behave in a socially and ethically exemplary way and operates business in compliance with all national laws and regulations. This is a main indicator for company to find out whether it is sustainable or not. Equal opportunities and discrimination One of the main indicators that should be addressed in sustainable development requires companies to provide equal opportunities to all regardless of their gender, race and disabilities. Most of the research identifies that gender disparity as one of the important issues that need to be addressed by the industry, including attracting more women into professional jobs. By having equal opportunities make the company to have better sustainable practices. Health and safety: Health and safety is one the most important indicator that production industry should concern about. Providing employees with health and safety standards must be addressed properly. The action plan included installing protective railings, improving processes and equipment for chemicals handling, and implementing health and safety procedures for corrective and preventive action. Bribery and corruption: Another main issue that should be addressed the companies is bribery and corruption. Sometimes as like human rights problems, is a large scale problem that cannot be addressed the companies. So companies must make careful consideration in regard to this problem which has a direct impact on sustainability of any company. CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF LISTED INDICATORS Justification For The Economic Indicators: China, India, Indonesia and Brazil are among Sony Ericssons 10 largest markets in sales share. Emerging markets represent around one third of global GDP, and network sales in emerging markets grew an estimated 15 percent in 2008, representing over half of network sales. High growth market: The above mentioned statistical data proves that the Sony Ericssons GDP is increasing to sustain in the market. Moreover, connectivity is an instrument to generate economic opportunity. In fact, a 2007 Deloitte analysis of sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the middle east and Asia pacific confirms that a 10 percent increase in mobile penetration leads to a 1.2 percent increase in gross domestic product (GDP) in developing countries twice the equivalent impact in developed markets. Applying life- cycle thinking to telecom network helps reduce the total cost of ownership for customers by demonstrating how to optimize energy. Two studies conducted by Sony Ericsson in 2008 showed in the lowest segments, money transfer, learning and mobile applications in health are in high demand. This shows that the company is done the research and addressed the capital investments, profit and share holders value to sustain in the market. Table.2 categories of economic indicators: Provides information on /measures Economic issues addressed Stake holders directly affected Main customers, market share contribution to GDP Contribution to GDP and wealth creation Customers, national governments Financial viability of business and wealth creation Capital investments, profits, share holders value, wealth creation, revenue distribution Shareholders, creditors, insurers Types of product, sales, earnings, values added Sales, earnings and value added Employees, customers, creditors, shareholders. Thus the above mentioned Economic Indicators as provided information on measures and also addressed the economic issues and how the stakeholders are directly affected. The additional indicators include generally- applicable measures of economic performance such as earnings before interest and tax. The micro economic issues have traditionally dominated business decision making with a focus on short term returns, which is in the telecommunication industry often based on production volumes rather than on valued added products and services. ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS: Indicator material The material indicator provides information about the various substances and elements that are used in the products and processes of the company namely Sony Ericsson. The various chemical substances like PVC, BFR and lead in the manufacturing of mobile phones and its accessories are taken into account in this indicator. One of the main substances highlighted by the media is brominates flame retardants (BFR) that reduces the risk of fires in the mobile phones. The major risk of BFR is that it becomes a dioxin under uncontrolled incineration. The company also strives to removes this substance from its charger and cable cases. Thereby the company has phased out the BFR in most of its products. Moreover Sony Ericsson takes the pride of becoming the first mobile phone firm to eradicate the entire use of BFR in its products. The other major substance is the poly vinyl chloride (PVC) because it releases hydrochloric acid and dioxins that gets accumulated in the animal fat and causes cancer to human due to the various carcinogens. Sony Ericsson worked hard to find alternatives for PVC and finally from 2007 all new Sony Ericsson products were PVC free. Other substances of concern were the phthalates, beryllium and antimony were also found hazardous and hence as an attempt to go environment friendly, the Sony Ericsson products are now almost free from such elements which can be very well evident from the companys report over sustainability. Table.3 sustainable indicator framework for social sustainability Indicator Provides information on/ measures Environmental issue(s) addressed Stakeholders directly affected/interested Materials Use of substances of concern like PVC, BFR, beryllium etc. Use and depletion of resources Suppliers, contractors, NGOs, national governments Energy Energy use and efficiency, use of renewable resources of energy. Use of energy resources, contribution to global warming. Suppliers, contractors, local communities, NGOs, national governments. Product Environmental impacts of products life cycle Environmental impacts of products like product toxicity. Customers, NGOs, national governments, insurers and creditors. Transport and logistics Transport distances for products and with respect to employees Intensity of transport activity carried out, use of non-renewable resources etc. Contractors, suppliers, local communities and authorities, national government and NGOs Air emissions Contribution to air, water and land pollution Air effluents, carbon emission, related environmental impacts Local communities and authorities, national governments, NGOs, creditors, shareholders. Indicator -energy The indicator provides measures on the usage of the energy and its efficiency and the usage of renewable sources of energy. With respect to the company, Sony Ericsson the mobile phones and their chargers come into picture regarding the energy or power consumption. Considering the total energy life cycle impact of a mobile phone, there is a no load power consumption issue. Sony Ericsson tried to reduce this and achieved a 0.15 w of average no load power in its mobile phone chargers. Indicator product The product indicator provides information about the environmental impacts that happens throughout the life cycle of the product. It exhibits the other hazardous and toxic properties of the mobile phone products and its accessories of Sony Ericsson. The product gathers more importance in identifying the measure of the sustainability in a company like Sony Ericsson as the entire business rolls out of its products. The company has come up with the initiative towards the development of the mobile phone product that is environmentally sustainable. In 2008, the company initiated a concept called green heart. According to this concept, the entire life cycles of products are revised and the usages of various elements are identified to be environmental friendly. Indicator transport and logistics: The indicator provides information about the distances involved in the transportation of products and the employees as well in the company. This indicator throws light on the usage of the various non-renewable resources and the corresponding emissions that would pose a considerable threat to the environment. Sony Ericsson collaborates with the logistics companies so as to reduce the impact of transport on the overall carbon footprint. The company framed out a separate environmental friendly guideline in selecting the vehicles and fuels for its transport operations. According to the life cycle assessment made by the company in 2008, it was found that 3.7 kg of carbon dioxide emission resulted out of the transportation of which 90% contributed from the outbound transportation. Thus the serious efforts have to be made to join with Logistics Company and reduce the weight of packaging as well so that overall impact of transportation can be minimized. Indicator air emissions (carbon footprint) The indicator provides information about the amount of pollutants that the company introduces to the land, air and water ecosystems. It also defines the level and severity of the impact and the corresponding impacts on the environment. Sony Ericsson has been planning out for larger volumes of production because of business constraints and this causes a larger emission of carbon dioxide into the air. The three major activities were identified to contribute towards carbon emission namely factories, offices and travel. Table.4 Table.5 The impact of business travel is another problem accounting for higher carbon emission. Reducing the long distance travel by introducing alternative meeting arrangements like Tele-Presence systems, an advanced video conferencing technique have been initiated as an effective alternative to reduce business travels. These all techniques were thought for reducing the companys total carbon emission from its business operations. SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS: Companies are paying more attention to the social dimension of sustainable development, mainly due to an experienced shift in stakeholder pressures from environmental to social-related concerns. During the last decades of the 20th century, various significant steps were taken to draw the social dimension of sustainable development into open. Sony Ericsson has taken the following social issues for their sustainability in the market. Stakeholder involvement Human rights and business ethics Equal opportunities and non- discrimination Health and safety Bribery and corruption Table.6 sustainable indicator framework for social sustainability Indicator Provides information on/ measures Social issue(s) addressed Stakeholders directly affected/interested Stakeholder involvement The level of commitment to external stakeholder Stakeholder involvement All external stakeholder Human rights and business ethics The level of commitment to protecting human rights of all stakeholders, employees Human rights and business ethics. All stakeholders, employees, trade unions. Equal opportunities and non-discrimination The level of commitment to non-discrimination and to provide equal opportunities Equal opportunities and non-discrimination Employees, trade unions, national governments Health and safety Employee health and safety Health and safety Employees, trade unions, national governments Bribery and corruption The approach to avoiding bribery and corruption Bribery and corruption Local communities and authorities, national governments, NGOs, creditors Indicator stakeholder involvement Board participation is crucial for the implementation of underlying values for sustainable development and preservation of cultural values. Therefore, involvement of local communities and other stakeholders is crucial in decision making process. Sony Ericsson seeks to respond promptly to stakeholder concerns. They conduct an annual stakeholder survey identifying the top-ranked social, environmental and economic issues for customers and investors. They measure employees views in annual surveys and polls. In 2008, both investors and customers were particularly interested in supply chain management. Indicator -human rights and business ethics Protection of human rights is another relevant sustainability of the social concern that should be addressed when considering electronics industry. Sony Ericsson respects all human rights, including the right to freedom of expression of ideas and as tools for democracy. At times the telecom industry can encounter conflicts in realisation of these rights. Sony Ericsson is addressing the relevant issues to us and our market, but at present, considers that the main concerns in this area fall within the operators domain. As society understands of these issues evolves and the border between operator and vendor changes, Ericsson will reassess its position. Indicator -equal opportunities and non- discrimination Addressing sustainable development requires companies to provide equal opportunities to all regardless of their gender, race or disabilities. Sony Ericsson is making headway in a male dominated industry, and the number of women in the workforce increased worldwide from 12,000 in 2004 to more than 17,000 today. The number of women occupying the top 200 roles increased from 12 percent in 2007 to 13 percent in 2008, while those in line management positions remained steady at 18 percent. Our objective is to develop a management team in which the number of females is proportionate to the female workforce as a whole Sony Ericsson leadership development initiative for employees nurtures key capabilities and competencies and helps set clear goals. We seek to strengthen and deepen leadership qualities at all levels of the organization. During 2008, we launched 122 training sessions to support the initiative and 1,979 managers participated, compared to 78 sessions and 1,281 participants in 2007. To maximize learning opportunities, we mix classroom sessions with informal learning such as mentoring, job rotation, coaching, and interactive feedback. This provides employees with practical support in developing the skills to spearhead and service technological convergence. Indicator health and safety In addition to wages and benefits that are universally important, one of the employee-related issues related to occupational health and safety. Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a global priority for Ericsson. In 2009 we will align our existing locally tailored OHS approach with a globally coordinated system applicable to all markets. Unit heads will ensure that they set appropriate OHS standards that are realistic, attainable and consistent with local operating conditions and legislation. During the year we will finalize a group policy on OHS that will be rolled out throughout the business. . Indicator -bribery and corruption Corruption is one of the main obstacles in equal distribution of wealth. The Ericsson group management system, implemented and monitored wherever we do business, ensures integrity and high standards of conduct. A whistle blower procedure is in place for employees to report violations relating to accounting, internal controls and procedures or fraudulent practices. In 2008, all market unit employees took the anti-corruption e-learning. We also offer training courses educate employees on the code of business ethics and anti-corruption. CONCLUSION Sustainable development has become very significant especially in the telecom industry. In order to respond to the various sustainability challenges forced in the industry, sustainable development becomes very crucial. The framework for the monitoring system developed with the corresponding indicators; provide a comprehensive tool for measuring sustainability in the telecom industry. The proposed indicators in the above discussion, addresses to the key environmental, social and economic issues that are prevalent in the tel

A Different Mirror :: essays research papers

A Different mirror: A History of Multicultural America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ronald Takaki is one of the foremost-recognized scholars of multicultural studies and holds a PhD. in American History from the University of California, Berkeley. As a professor of Ethnic Studies at the same university, he wrote A Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America as a fantastic new telling of our nation’s history. The book narrates the composition of the many different people of the United States of America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a lively account filled that is with personal accounts and the voices of people that were in the past left out of the historical armament, Ronald Takaki proffers us a new perspective of America’s envisioned past. Mr. Takaki confronts and disputes the Anglo-centric historical point of view. This dispute and confrontation is started in the within the seventeenth-century arrival of the colonists from England as witnessed by the Powhatan Indians of Virginia and the Wamapanoag Indians from the Massachusetts area. From there, Mr. Takaki turns our attention to several different cultures and how they had been affected by North America. The English colonists had brought the African people with force to the Atlantic coasts of America. The Irish women that sought to facilitate their need to work in factory settings and maids for our towns. The Chinese who migrated with ideas of a golden mountain and the Japanese who came and labored in the cane fields of Hawaii and on the farms of California. The Jewish people that fled from shtetls of Russia and created new urban communities here. The Latinos who crossed the border had come in search of the mythic and fabulous life El Norte.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ronald Takaki closes his book, a Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America, with the 1992 Los Angeles racial explosion.

Aristotle Virtue Theory Essay

Aristotle’s Virtue theory is based on Teleology and the Golden Mean. He says that to be virtuous that we need to act with excellence. He believed that everything on this earth has its own virtue, meaning that if it performs the way it’s supposed to by its nature then it is virtuous. He asserted that every event had four causes or four factors that work on it and to bring it into being; 1) Material Cause- the â€Å"stuff the thing is made of. 2) Efficient Cause- the force that has brought it into being. 3) Formal cause- the shape or idea (the Form) of the thing. 4) Final cause- the purpose of the thing. Virtue is not just for humans; it means that everything that exists has a purpose. The Golden Mean-is an action or feeling that corresponds to a particular situation at the right time, in the right way, in the right amount, and for the right reason. Not too much, not too little, everything in moderation. It is what is â€Å"Good for man† where a human can excel, what a human is meant to do and where a human will find happiness. He determined that if we are able to choose the proper response to every situation in life then we are morally good. It is all about the reasonably thought  out decisions we make and the action we take after we have made them. The virtuous person finds and choses the one that is intermediate. These are human concerns that are constant and remain the same concerns throughout the ages. Since we are human beings and capable of rational decision making we can be prone to go toward one extreme or the other, we must beware of our own short comings. It is only through habitually practicing to try to make the right decisions that we can aspire to become virtuous. It is not our response to a single situation but how we respond as a general rule. We need to be consistent in our actions. Aristotle realized that this is something that doesn’t come overnight but that it takes time to mold ourselves. How we find out what the mean is in every situation is through reason, the more times we have done it and acted correctly the better we can build the habit of responding appropriately. He specifies that there are some acts that are just wrong by themselves, i. e. stealing, lying and murdering, and cannot be done in the right amount. There are also acts that cannot be done too often such as justice. You can never be â€Å"too just†. It takes a lifetime of training and commitment we are not inherently born this way. It is not enough that you just act on your intentions but you need to succeed in order to be virtuous. Once you have succeeded in living a virtuous life then as a virtuous person your future actions will be generally virtuous because you developed virtuous habits. There are three dispositions to every situation: two vices, one on either side of virtue which in the middle. Aristotle advises us to keep trying until we get it right. Some extremes are closer to the middle than others. If you don’t know which one to choose, stay away from the extreme that is more opposed to the mean than the other extreme. We each have our own ideals and failings but our responses to a situation need to remain flexible and a virtuous response will reveal itself. The appropriate way to handle the situation will fall within a range that is recognized by other virtuous people. He believed that there could be a perfectly virtuous person. He also believed that if you are virtuous in one respect but fail terribly in another then you have lost out completely. If you deviate only slightly you are still a virtuous person, a person who is good at being human and at realizing the human potential. His thoughts on courage were that if you had too little courage you were a coward and that if you had too much courage you could be fool hardy, rush in and make rash decisions. He felt that there was nothing wrong with enjoying pleasure, but if you overdid it you are intemperate. If you are not capable of enjoying pleasure at all then you are unimpressionable. The virtue is to know in what amount to enjoy your pleasure, which would be temperance. The key is to enjoy in moderation. His opinion on spending money was that if you spend too much you are prodigal and spend too little  you’re a miser, just the right amount at the right time on the right people for the right reason makes you liberal. It is also possible to overestimate your honor, and become vain or underestimate it and become humble. He described proper pride as the virtuous way to estimate yourself and your accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with feeling angry but you need to be even tempered. Being hot tempered is 1 / 2 a vice but so is also being meek. Let your anger be in proportion to the offense against you. Truthfulness is a virtue but his idea of a deficiency of truthfulness is irony â€Å"mock modesty†Ã‚  (downplaying the situation), the excess of truthfulness, bragging. It is all about assessing the situation and acting accordingly, don’t underplay the truth but don’t overplay the truth either. The sole reason for designing the development of virtuous character was that Aristotle felt that being virtuous makes you happy. Happiness is what is good for a man. A good life means a happy life, but a good person also means a moral person. We can be happy only if we are good. Our highest goal, our purpose as a human being, is to live well, be happy, and to do well. He also warned that if  we rely too much on pleasures that one day they won’t give us the thrill they used to. What is good for us can’t be something that harms us and over indulgence in too many pleasures can be harmful. The requirement of true happiness is that it must be stand the test of time. Something that no one can take away from us and that is not harmful but beneficial that would be our good reasoning and contemplation. The ultimate happy life is that of the life of a thinker. He did not believe in an afterlife or a god that watches over humanity. He states that the soul is the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"form† of a human and the body is the â€Å"matter†, but since form cannot exist separately from matter when the body dies the soul ceases to exist. Happiness is only for the living and must be achieved in the here and now for a person to have fulfilled their purpose. One of the weaknesses of Virtue Ethics is that Aristotle was talking about the ruling class. If there is to be equality for all then there needs to be a moral theory that everyone follows regardless of whom they are. The laws need to be reasonable and clear. Virtues were also too vague and weren’t helpful in solving problems. When you have two virtuous  people that disagree how can you tell which one is correct. How is it decided which one is more virtuous than the other? With a clear set of morals and laws the problem is much easier resolved. Also why can’t humans have more than one purpose? There are many people that are equally good at several different things. Look at the musician that is equally good at playing the guitar and singing. Which purpose are they supposed to choose? Aristotle’s Virtue theory is basically based on the fact that everything has a purpose and as humans our happiness is determined by the choices that we make. We should always strive to achieve our purpose whatever that may be and during that struggle hopefully we will achieve happiness. His theory may have some weaknesses but some of the ideas are supportable in my opinion. You need to use your logic to make informed decisions. Practice making the right choices, this practice will eventually turn into a habit. Make decisions that don’t cause harm to yourself or others. Lastly everything in moderation is a good rule to live by. This I believe will go a long way in helping human beings to achieve happiness. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Revenge in “Medea”, by Euripides, and “The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende

Often, when someone commits evil deeds, it causes the victim to take action. This, however, may simply escalate the situation to the point where the characters forget about morals and beliefs for retribution. In the novel, The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende, and the play, Medea, by Euripides, the characters from both works react intensely to get revenge on others. Although Allende mainly uses effective diction, and Euripides the power of the chorus, both authors challenge the view that when faced with injustice, defiance is the solution. In The House of the Spirits, Allende’s use of diction enhances the injustice that Esteban Garcia ll must confront, but also to emphasize the consequences of such confrontation. To begin, he loathes Esteban Trueba for raping his grandmother, Pancha, the cause for his revenge. During the death of Pedro Garcia, Allende details Esteban Garcia’s hatred for Esteban Trueba: â€Å"[h]e hated Esteban Trueba†¦ Trueba had forgotten all about Pancha Garcia and the fact that he had had a child with her†¦ [Esteban Garcia] would lie awake at night imagining all sorts of dreadful illnesses and accidents that could put an end to the life of [Esteban Trueba]†¦ [Esteban Garcia] always reproached Trueba for the dark existence he had forged for him, and he felt constantly punished† (Allende, 189). Evidently, Esteban Garcia has passionate contempt for his grandfather, rooted by the transgression he commits by raping Garcias grandmother. Allende emphasizes his hatred by using harsh diction, such as: â€Å"dreadful, reproached, dark, forged, [and] punished†. This depicts the extent to which Garcia regards such actions as injustice. Later in the novel, the consequences of getting revenge on Esteban Trueba are revealed. As Alba writes about her family history with Esteban Trueba, she discusses, â€Å"[Alba] wrote in [her] mind that one day Colonel Garcia would stand before [her] in defeat and that [she] would avenge [her]self on all those who need to be avenged. But now [she has] begun to question [her] own hatred†¦ Afterward the grandson of the woman who was raped repeats the gesture with the granddaughter of the rapist, and perhaps forty years from now [Alba’s] grandson will knock Garcia’s granddaughter down among the rushes, and so on through the centuries in an unending tale of sorrow, blood, and love† (431-432). Allende explores the inevitability of retribution, that revenge will always take place because the two families would continue to see injustice in the way their ancestors deal with situations. Effective diction is used to intensify the reader’s feelings about this, such as â€Å"repeats, so on through the centuries, [and] unending†, which enhances the feeling of continuity, and therefore negativity, in the consequences. She also uses gloomy words, like â€Å"sorrow† and â€Å"blood† to deliver the message that such consequences are also gloomy and unfavourable. To summarize, Allende indicates that revenge should not be taken as a result of injustice, through the manipulation of diction. Similarly, in Medea, Euripides illustrates that injustice is not necessarily resolved when the victim seeks vengeance. However, he uses the ability to communicate directly to his audience, instead of elaborate words with deep meanings. The use of the chorus, along with rhetorical questions, aids Euripides in conveying his message to his audience. Euripides uses the chorus to emphasize the difficulties that Medea must cope with, but also to emphasize the immorality in the way she chooses to resolve the situation. To begin, the chorus is used to depict the injustice that Medea is faced with. When Creon banishes Medea from the city of Corinth, the chorus sympathizes for Medea by saying, â€Å"[h]apless woman! Overwhelmed by sorrow! Where will you turn? What stranger will afford you hospitality? † (Euripides, 45. 359-360). Clearly, the chorus is feeling sympathy toward Medea, as they exclaim her feelings and worry about her future. In the ancient Greek setting of this play, the audience would confirm what their feelings toward the play should be through the chorus. This would therefore cause the audience to feel sympathy for Medea as well, and Euripides would succeed in making the audience realize the injustice that Medea faces. The use of the two rhetorical questions also emphasizes this feeling. If the all-knowing chorus cannot even answer these questions, there must not be any answer, and Medea must really have nowhere to go. Further into the play, however, the chorus’s opinion on Medea changes when she reveals her plot to get revenge on Jason for causing her misery. When she announces her intention of killing Jason’s new family, the chorus asks. â€Å"Whence you got the hardihood to conceive such a plan? And in the horrible act, as you bring death on your own children, how will you steel your heart and hand? When you cast your eyes on them, your own children, will you not weep that you should be their murderess? † (58. 843-847). Suddenly, the chorus is against Medea, and the audience would follow this dramatic turn. Through the use of rhetoric, Euripides shows that any rational person should not plan as such, should not be able to â€Å"steel† themselves, and should not be able to murder her own children without weeping. As Medea begins lose her ability to think ethically, Euripides demonstrates Medea’s immorality because she descends too deep in the choices she makes to resolve her problems. The rhetorical style enables the audience to be engaged and actually think about the situation as they try to answer the question. This is in contrast to the way Allende shows the irrational decisions people tend to make in their attempts to confront injustice. Allende uses elaborate diction that effectively portrays the negativity in both situations, whereas Eurpides has the option to engage his audience directly. However, both authors, despite having their own methods, succeed in proving that defiance tends to go out of control, when it either lasts continuously causes the characters to forget how to act morally. In conclusion, both Allende and Euripides take different routes to reveal their underlying purpose: that seeking revenge is not necessarily the correct path to take when faced with injustice. The phrase â€Å"two wrongs do not make a right† has a powerful effect in both works, as it causes permanent retaliations of â€Å"wrongs† and results in the disregard for ethics and morals. Overall, it can be seen that people tend to reciprocate injustice due to their desire for retribution.

Free Essays on The Women Of LeFanu And Poe

The Women of LeFanu and Poe The women in the stories of Edgar A. Poe and Sheridan LeFanu are of two different persuasions but both have in common their death and demise. Poe’s stories exist mostly in the natural realm, some in the psychological, and LeFanu’s lean towards the supernatural. To understand why these two prolific men wrote about women the way they did we have to examine their background with women. Poe had a tough childhood growing up. He lost his father and mother only a year apart in 1810 and 1811. His sister went crazy and lost her mind. While he was in school, around the age of fifteen, a mother of one of his classmates acted as a mother figure for him. But she also died. Her death was a result of a brain tumor. Poe thought of her as the mother he always wanted. Later on in his life he married his thirteen year old cousin. She burst a blood vessel and became a vegetable until she died. With all the women in Poe’s life dying you can see the reason why he wrote about women either dead or dying in his stories. In contrast to Poe much less is known about J. S. LeFanu. His wife died in 1858 and this drove him to be a very depressed and reclusive man. This perhaps led him to write about the women dying in the supernaturally way they do. Poe’s use of women seemed to lean on abuse and murder. He always has their life end undesirable and in calamity. The women die by the men’s hand. LeFanu uses women in a very different way. In Carmilla the woman is the aggressor but alas in the end dies by the hand of the men. Poe uses his women in a way that they are in the story line but have no real particular use or interaction. In Black Cat the wife never spoke or had any real interaction. She was basically just another piece of the setting. In Fall of the House of Usher the sister doesn’t speak and had no particular part. The women in The Murders in the Rue Morgue were referre... Free Essays on The Women Of LeFanu And Poe Free Essays on The Women Of LeFanu And Poe The Women of LeFanu and Poe The women in the stories of Edgar A. Poe and Sheridan LeFanu are of two different persuasions but both have in common their death and demise. Poe’s stories exist mostly in the natural realm, some in the psychological, and LeFanu’s lean towards the supernatural. To understand why these two prolific men wrote about women the way they did we have to examine their background with women. Poe had a tough childhood growing up. He lost his father and mother only a year apart in 1810 and 1811. His sister went crazy and lost her mind. While he was in school, around the age of fifteen, a mother of one of his classmates acted as a mother figure for him. But she also died. Her death was a result of a brain tumor. Poe thought of her as the mother he always wanted. Later on in his life he married his thirteen year old cousin. She burst a blood vessel and became a vegetable until she died. With all the women in Poe’s life dying you can see the reason why he wrote about women either dead or dying in his stories. In contrast to Poe much less is known about J. S. LeFanu. His wife died in 1858 and this drove him to be a very depressed and reclusive man. This perhaps led him to write about the women dying in the supernaturally way they do. Poe’s use of women seemed to lean on abuse and murder. He always has their life end undesirable and in calamity. The women die by the men’s hand. LeFanu uses women in a very different way. In Carmilla the woman is the aggressor but alas in the end dies by the hand of the men. Poe uses his women in a way that they are in the story line but have no real particular use or interaction. In Black Cat the wife never spoke or had any real interaction. She was basically just another piece of the setting. In Fall of the House of Usher the sister doesn’t speak and had no particular part. The women in The Murders in the Rue Morgue were referre...